Huard is an independent trucker and a rank-and-file organizer in the unionization drive among 900 truckers who haul containers to and from the Port of Montreal.

The truckers, members of the Syndicat National du Transport Routier (SNTR, National Union of Truckers) affiliated to the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CNTU), went on strike against 41 companies October 22 after two years of unsuccessful efforts to win union recognition and a first contract. The union members include drivers of company equipment paid hourly, independent owner-operators, and truckers working for temporary labor agencies.

At the heart of struggle are the owner-operators who, like truckers across North America, often work long hours and still barely survive on what’s left after the expenses of truck payments, repairs, fuel, insurance, and other fees deducted from their earnings, which are paid per run or per mile.

After the first five days of the strike there was a backlog of 15,000 containers piled up in the port of Montreal. Some local factories were idled.

On November 2, the Quebec National Assembly unanimously adopted strikebreaking legislation introduced by the Parti Québécois government of Prime Minister Lucien Bouchard. Law 157 orders the truckers to return to work or face stiff penalties.

The truckers refused to submit and stayed on the picket lines, reaching out for solidarity from other unionists and organizing public protests.

On November 8, Bouchard told the National Assembly, "The government will enforce this law like all others, totally and without exception."

The CNTU has been fined $125,000 a day since November 3. Trucking companies have filed lawsuits against the union totaling $16 million.

Between November 7 and 8, some 150 truckers received visits from cops or bailiffs delivering notices of fines up to $1,000. Companies have been firing striking drivers and repossessing trucks that were financed through the employer.

The November 12 edition of Le Journal de Montréal reported that three truckers have been arrested on various charges, including damaging vehicles, uttering threats, and possession of a "dangerous" weapon, referring to a slingshot.

On November 8, the federal government of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien delivered the truckers a carefully timed blow designed to undermine the union fight. The Canadian Industrial Relations Board rejected 33 of the 41 union accreditation demands, ruling that owner-operators were not employees and that the union had failed to sign up a majority of employees.

But independent operators point out that they are not self-employed. They are hired by the trucking companies, which determine the pay rate per load and what loads the trucker moves and when. The independents are workers who are required to furnish their own rigs, in some cases financed by the company and painted in company colors. They are fighting for an hourly wage and protection from fuel price hikes and unfair insurance and licensing costs.

Undeterred by the antiunion attack, 500 truckers assembled on November 8 and reaffirmed their decision to stay out until they had a negotiated agreement.

Despite an injunction limiting their effectiveness, picket lines have gone up every morning at the port and a picket shack is being constructed.

Bouchard crows that his legislation is working and that container traffic is back to 75 percent of normal levels. Although some truckers have returned to work, the CNTU states that the level of port activity is closer to 30 percent. The general manager of Garfield Container Transport told the Montreal Gazette November 8, "There are no drivers. We have no business." The paper also reported that container traffic at the Canadian Pacific rail yard had a two-week backlog, with 20 shipping firms unable to send trucks.

Some 600 truckers and their supporters protested November 10 outside Bouchard’s offices in downtown Montreal.

Al Cappe is a meat packer in Montreal.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home